


Demolition of Young Dreamers

by kxtan_153



Series: The Phenomena Records [1]
Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Alternate Universe - Cults, Alternate Universe - Demons, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Band, Animal Death, Bisexual Tyler Joseph, Black Markets, Blood and Gore, Body Horror, Cannibalism, Disfigurement, Gen, Hallucinations, Illegal Activities, Implied Sexual Content, Mutation, POV Third Person, Pink Haired Josh Dun, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-19
Updated: 2019-05-19
Packaged: 2020-03-07 16:18:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18876745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kxtan_153/pseuds/kxtan_153
Summary: “Just watch. Something that doesn’t quite belong will make itself known to you soon enough. When it does, erase it.”





	Demolition of Young Dreamers

**Author's Note:**

> I got super inspired and decided to write this. 
> 
> Feel free to give any constructive criticism! :)

The sound of creaking floorboards dragged Tyler slowly into the waking world, the sky outside still completely black. Warily, he opened his eyes, scanning the darkness as his heart pounded rapidly in his chest. Something tall moved through the shadows, large body hunched down to fit inside the building, though still, it’s slimy neck and shoulders occasionally brushing against the ceiling.

  


Gingerly, Tyler shifted just a little, wondering if he could somehow find something to defend himself or get to safety. Instantly, the creature stilled in its quiet rummaging and turned its massive head towards him. Several large glowing eyes locked with his, and the two of them remained frozen for a time, refusing to break eye contact.

  


Slowly, the creature took a long deep inhale, taking in his scent, before letting out a low rumble. Carelessly releasing whatever it was it had been holding, it started making its way towards Tyler, never looking away from his frightened eyes as the floor creaked beneath its impressive weight.

  


The creature had no lips, but it had teeth,  _ so many teeth _ , forming a smile that stretched much too big across its face. And the smile widened as it drew nearer, bringing with it the stench of death.

  


Tyler broke the eye contact, squeezing them shut. His fist was clenched tight enough that he felt blood pouring down and in-between his fingers.

  


_ "Do you think keeping your eyes closed will keep you safe?" _   The monster murmured.  _ "That’s a child’s fantasy. You're not a child, are you?" _

  


A nail scraped gently down Tyler's back. He lashed out and felt nothing.

  


_ "Or, maybe," _   the monster continued slyly,  _ "I’m only here when your eyes are closed.”  _ Hands snatched at Tyler's body, too tight and too strong.

  


Tyler's entire body shook.  _ He wouldn't dare to open them.   _

  


_ “Open your eyes, Tyler,” _   the monster said.  _ "Open them, and experience what I truly am." _

  


Slowly, Tyler opens his eyes.

  


There's nothing there.

  


And then he blacks out.

-

Even though the train Tyler was on left something to be desired, it was still far from unpleasant. The train compartment he had chosen seemed to have a couple of faulty lights, luckily offering him a nice little dark spot in the corner, where he could stretch out on the seat and watch the world go by outside the narrow window.

  


There was hardly anyone else on the train at the moment, people mostly choosing to remain spread out or in small groups, relishing in the semi-peaceful atmosphere that came with this time of night; the rush hours have long since passed. Something kept tugging at his senses, though, just ever-so-slightly out of range.

  


Feeling another wave of awareness, Tyler quietly tilted his head, watching as a young brown-haired woman walked down the short narrow stairs and started heading down the walkway, obliviously passing Tyler as he relaxed in his corner. She looked relatively normal, but the longer he’d looked at her, the more she seemed…unnatural, _  inhuman _ .

  


There was something so sinister about the way she smiled at him, about the way  _ everyone _  acted in there. Everything about that place felt... _ off _ . On the outside, the view was beautiful, with lush green trees standing tall, sweeping hills, healthy pastures, and well-kept homes on display. On the inside, it was silent.  _ Completely  _ silent, to the point where Tyler could hear himself breathing.

  


It all felt  _ wrong _ .

  


“―believe how Bethany reacted to that,” the rugged man was telling him.  _ Tyler's ears were ringing. _

  


Still, he forced himself to remain cordial, smiling politely to the man who had been talking to him for the first few minutes of the ride, the hunger in his eyes feeling a bit too literal for Tyler’s likes. A blonde woman shifted past, brushing her hand against her companion's arm “innocently” as she giggled at something he said, and for a moment, he could have sworn her hand was covered in bloody scales, nails tipped in poisonous-looking claws.

  


A young Asian woman wearing a leather jacket coyly interrupted Tyler’s oh-so-riveting conversation, and he took the chance to excuse himself, feeling bad as he saw how quickly the man easily locked onto his new target.  _ Nothing about this felt right. How did he even end up here? _

  


Briefly, he’d caught a glimpse of a person with their face half rotting, chatting up a young man, and unsurprisingly, when he glanced again, Tyler saw only the face of another man, no longer rotting―but healthy and youthful, features pulled into a cheeky smile that didn’t quite fit his face.

  


Tyler needed some air.  _ Only a few more minutes and it’ll be over. _

  


His phone rang.

  


It was Jenna.  _ Thank God. _

  


"Hello?"

  


_ "Tyler, you need to get off of the train. Now." _

  


"Why? What for? Is it important?" Tyler's throat tightened. "Are you okay, Jenna?"

  


_ "No time for questions. Just do it." _

  


Before he could say anything else, the signal stopped working. He growled in frustration.

  


"Dammit..." his hands trembled as he checked his phone again. Nothing.  _ Absolutely nothing.  _ Furiously, he wiped the tears from his eyes.

  


" _ Stop crying, you wimp."   _ The beast's gruff voice fills his ears.  _ "You don't want to be viewed as a coward, do you? Especially not here, hmm?" _

  


Tyler sighs. "Fine, but..."

  


_ "But what?" _

  


"Nothing, never mind." Tyler didn't argue.

  


The train skids to a halt, brakes squealing sharply. It jolts forward quickly, startling Tyler. He feels tears well up in his eyes again, and then they fall slowly. He's quiet, his body shaking, his lip quivering, his throat sore.

  


_ "I told you to stop crying."   _ The creature's voice is louder now.  _ "You're such a baby. Grow up." _

  


"I can't...I can't," Tyler exhales, heart pounding. "Please just let me wake up, please."

  


_ "Who said you were dreaming, Tyler?" _   the creature's mouth turns up into a sinister smile.  _ "This is no dream, this is no nightmare." _

  


Tyler gasps, hiding his face into his hands. He choked on the air and tried to breathe, but it was no use.

  


The creature was closer to him now,  _ too close _ , and Tyler shivered beside it. In a low, husky voice, it whispered in his ear, corrupted enough to make Tyler's blood run cold:

  


**_"This is R E A L I T Y."_ **

-

Tyler opened the door to the shop. It was relatively cold and seemed clean enough to still hold its business.

  


"Hi! How may I help you?" A man with hot pink hair and pierced ears stood behind the counter, wearing a black t-shirt and black jeans. He smiled genuinely, but Tyler was still on guard. There's a tree tattooed on his muscular arm. 

  


Ignoring the man, Tyler browsed through the shelves. There were skins of all different colors hanging on racks, jars full of liquid, and bottles on metal shelves, bags of red liquid dangling from hooks on the ceiling, and an examination table in the center of the room where a woman with long, dyed auburn hair stood, wearing surgical gloves.

  


_ "Don't trust them."  _

  


"Shut the hell up, could you at least do  _ that  _ for me?" Tyler hissed, causing the person with surgical gloves to turn around, looking mildly hurt.

  


"He's probably infected, too, Debby," the man says indiscreetly, "make sure you put on a new pair of gloves. Okay?"

  


Debby, the woman at the table, frowns. There's a look of pity on her face. "What's your name?"

  


_ "Don't tell them anything."   _ The creature's voice is a low growl, it's demanding.  _ "Understand?" _

  


"I'm...I'm Tyler."

  


"Oh. It's nice to meet you, Tyler."

  


Debby turns to the man at the counter. "Josh, go ahead.  _ Tell him _ ."

  


Tyler feels the urge to cry again. "Tell me what?"

  


Josh exhales irritably. Regret is present in his eyes, his lips form into a pout. It's as if he didn't want to say anything.

  


"This is...Well, to put it bluntly, we're a part of the black market." Debby says once Josh hesitates. "We're one of the bigger corporations, actually."

  


Tyler feels sick to his stomach.  _ He will not cry.  _ "You...you mean to tell me that you sell body parts in exchange for money? Is that what you do?"

  


"Yeah. That's right," Josh replies, almost like he's  _ happy  _ about it, "we do that."

 

Tyler's eyes grow big. "A-Are you...Will you kill m-me? And sell my organs to people who want them?"

  


Josh's face pales. He says nothing.

  


Debby shoots him a look and shakes her head.  _ "Don't." _

  


Josh groans. "We  _ have  _ to, Debs."  

 

Tyler's mouth aches. "Were you planning to?"

 

The two of them stand awkwardly. Then Josh speaks up: "...Yes. We usually kill the first customer we have." 

  


Tyler vomits on his shirt and cries. 

 

_ "You're a fucking baby," _  the creature spits in his face,  _"a cowardly hypocrite consumed by fear."_

-

“It’s like I can still feel its hands crawling on my skin…” Tyler shivers. 

  


"Who's hands?" The voice was too similar to his own. 

 

"That  _thing._ It tells me what to do and what not to do." 

 

"Your conscience?" 

 

"No! It's a physical being!" 

 

"Jesus, what are you getting all worked up for?" 

 

"You don't believe me! That's why!" 

 

**_"WE ALL BELIEVE THINGS THAT ARE FALSE. DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND? THIS WAR IS NOT YET WON. WE WILL NOT FAIL."_ **

**_-_ **

Tyler runs. 

  


_Faster. Faster._

 

"Tyler!" 

 

He whirls around. Trees fly past him, still, his lungs burn. 

 

"Who are you?" 

  


"There's not enough time for me to tell you yet!" 

  


Tyler's heart races. He's sweaty, covered in dirt and leaves, still running away from God knows  _what._

  


There she stands. Waiting, with open arms. 

  


"Jenna?" Tyler stumbles forward, relieved. Her blonde hair was a mess, her clothes were bloody and torn. But she smiled. It was warmer than he remembered. "Oh, thank God, I thought you were dead." 

  


He hugged her tightly, kissing her face, inhaling her scent.  _She is flesh and blood, she is the stars in the sky and the plants rooted in the rich earth._

_  
_

He looked up at her, caressing her cheek. Her blue eyes twinkled, and everything was okay, Tyler knew. 

  


**__**_"We're all dead."_ ****  


  


Tyler fell back onto the grass, and to his horror, Jenna's body split in half down the middle, her internal organs spilling out onto the ground. Each one of them bubbled and splattered onto the trees and bushes nearby. Tyler's clothes reeked of more blood now. 

  


He's itching at his arms, his neck, his back, and soon he has his own flesh trapped in his nails. Tyler hisses in frustration, still scratching until he finds himself staring down at a patch of his damaged, torn skin in his bloodied, trembling fist. 

  


Tyler can't bring himself to say anything, only stare in disbelief. 

  


All he can hear is the creature's soft cackling. 

  


He'd stopped breathing a while ago. 

-

Tyler lost his left eye sooner or later, the remains of a nasty acid burn scarring the left side of his face. 

_  
_

_Half-blind wretch._

  


His parents were the first to know. They treated him the same way they had done before and cared for Tyler as much as possible. 

  


_Abomination._   


  


Josh told him that the creature always near him had been feeding off of him, quite literally.   


  


Tyler didn't know what to think of that.   


-

  


"Did you get me the kidneys, Debs?" Josh's voice is jovial as he stepped out from the counter and peeled off the blue gloves he'd been wearing for the past hour. "And  _how many_ did you get?"   
  


  


Debby nodded, smirking. "I got seven, babe. From an  _entire_ family." She walked over to him and thrust the jar at his chest gently. "They were a little...chewy, but otherwise, they were good enough." 

  


"Good." Josh smiled at his wife and kissed her. It was a pact they'd made, vowing to stay in their marriage for as long as they both lived. Pulling away temporarily, Josh whispered: "What'd you think of Tyler? D'you think he'd be of satisfaction?" 

  


"Hmm," her voice is somewhat playful, "he looked pretty delicious. But he seemed afraid of us." 

  


"Well,  _yeah_ , he thought we'd kill him. Which, we were going to do." Josh shrugs. "It's no big deal, he'll come back here pleading for us to get that damned demon out of him. And we'll _do it_." 

  


Debby flashes him a knowing smile. " _Only_ if he allows us to substitute a few of his organs for some metal ones, and we'll eat the ones he gave us." 

  


"You're a fucking angel, Debs," Josh says, kissing her throat, "I love you." 

  


Debby leans her head back and grins. "I know."

  


And that night, the sky was black and inky, and they both had given each other the  _true_ definition of love. The messiest love they could've given to each other was enough.

-

**Burnt wood. Bright flames. Desperate screams. Chaos. Before them was chaos.**

 -

   


Jenna could hear it moving out there, the deep growls and grunts as it dragged things around and tipped things over, the sounds sending a chill through her blood. The noises themselves were terrifying enough, but the knowledge that the only things out there that were movable, were too heavy for even the strongest human to lift alone, only amplified her terror.

   


Trying to stay silent, she pressed herself further into the corner of the broken loft that she had climbed up into. The wood was damp and brittle, and it was only because of her careful footing, that she managed to get into the corner where it was more solid, far from the decaying staircase on the other side of the loft. Luckily, the creature hadn’t gotten inside yet, but she knew it was only a matter of time.

   


It had already killed all of her co-workers, ripped them apart viciously, leaving a gruesome path of destruction and death behind it, their screams still sounding in her ears. She couldn’t say she would miss any of them, especially not after the way they had continued to treat her. Even the one who Jenna had thought was her friend, the one Jenna had reluctantly agreed to come here for, had been in on it, turning the other way at their treatment and laughing as though it was all some funny joke. As if _she_ was the joke.

   


Whether she cared about their deaths or not, it didn’t matter. This creature would kill her just as it had done to the others. It was perhaps the only one here that did not discriminate. Though why it had left her for last, she had no idea. Jenna had been the first to see it coming, and the only one to have escaped as it tore into the two men that had been with her, William and Vincent Rawlins, CEOs of the largest technology company in the state. But they didn't mean anything to her, not  _now._

   


Abruptly, Jenna heard the horrifying screaming of metal as the creature tore into the solid door with ease. She managed to squeeze through and had hoped that all the machinery and junk that sat in front of the door would stop its massive frame from getting in, but apparently, she had underestimated its sheer strength and determination.

   


Clutching her hands to her chest, Jenna willed her heart to quiet, desperately holding back whimpers as tears ran down her filthy cheeks. She could hear the beast huff and growl below her, large heavy footsteps padding around as it hunted. 

   


Slowly, the creature came to a stop, right below the corner of the loft where she hid. Unwittingly, Jenna found her eyes anxiously glancing down through the many holes in the rotten wood, only to meet the glowing red eyes of the creature, looking right back at her from down below. A deep terrifying rumble sounded in its chest the moment her eyes locked, and she desperately bit back a sob of raw terror. 

   


The creature opened its large maw and spoke in an angry, bellowing voice. 

_  
_

_"I can see it in your eyes. You’re terrified. How pretty.”_

   


"Sacha!" 

 

_Tyler's voice. He was with her now. She sighed in relief. He smiled softly and planted a kiss on Jenna's forehead._

   


"Let her rest. Go. Leave." His voice is stern, sharp. Jenna hadn't heard him use a tone like that in a long time. 

   


The horrific creature's body rumbled again, an irritated groan.  _"But I didn't get to―"_

 

"Get. Out.  **NOW.** " Tyler's eyes narrowed. 

   


Sacha is still there, but silent. Gone.  _Transparency is easier for them._

   


Tyler and Jenna don't say anything for the rest of the evening. 

-

The sound of a window shattering was Tyler's first clue that something was up, the second, was the sound of something moving at an inhuman pace down the hallway upstairs, knocking things down in its frenzied haste to reach the stairs. His dog Buttercup was instantly on her feet, hackles raised as the usually cheerful animal started snarling and growling loudly towards the doorway.  


   


Cursing, Tyler jumped to his feet and pulled out the gun he had hidden in the side drawer. Backing up to the wall quickly, he readied his loaded gun, his only darting around the darkness rapidly, using what little light was streaming in through the windows to try and see what he was facing. 

   


Jenna turned over groggily, eyes half-open, and frowned. "Is everything alright, sweetheart?" 

   


"It's fine, I'll handle it," Tyler said, trying to be genuine, "go back to sleep. OK?"

   


Tyler's heart pounded in his ears as he realized that the mad scrambling that had been thundering down his steps, had gone completely quiet, the only sound now that could be heard was that of his snarling dog. Taking a chance, Tyler glanced down at Buttercup, only to pause.

   


Instead of looking towards the other end of the room as he was, Buttercup was looking straight up, shaking with aggression and fear. Icy cold dread shot down his spine as he carefully turned his gaze upwards, paling at the deranged face that peered back at him, pinkish foam and drool dripping from its mouth as wild unhinged eyes met his own.

   


Tyler dropped the gun in his hand. 

   


Buttercup began barking loudly, startling Jenna. 

   


"Shhh!!!" Tyler hissed, causing Buttercup to whimper sadly. Kneeling, Tyler rubbed her muzzle. "I'm sorry, girl, but you gotta keep quiet. This... _thing_ here might wanna eat you, me, or all three of us." 

   


 With a snarl, the creature's enormous claws sliced the flesh of Buttercup into pieces and opened its three jaws, crying out in fury. Her eyes whitened, her innards spilling onto the carpet. 

   


"Whatdid you just  _do_ to my dog??" Tyler yelled. "You bastard!" 

   


The creature groaned sadly and closed its eyes. The remains of Buttercup formed back together in an instant, and she began to whimper. 

   


"OK, what the  _hell_ was that?" Tyler scoffed. "I don't understand!" 

   


_**"YOU DON'T HAVE TO, **NAÏVE** HUMAN. WE CAN UNDERSTAND FOR YOU." **_ 

-

The Elders heard bones cracking and splintering somewhere in the darkness.  


   


They paid no mind to it. 

   


-

“The butcher was bathed with blue,” Tyler says through a bite of his turkey sandwich, "whenever he tasted booze or blood, his eyes were suspended in water. Both in tears and in ecstasy, at the sickening joy they wrought."

   


"The hell does that mean?" Josh asked, chewing on a piece of something that looked like meat. "You're a weird dude." 

   


"And you're not?" 

   


"Shut up before I cut out your tongue and sell it on eBay." 

   


Tyler was silent. He tried his best to not cry.  _He was so damn sensitive. Maybe the creature was right. Maybe he needed to grow up._

   


"I'm...sorry. I didn't mean to be rude, honest." Tyler regretted saying anything, anticipating never being able to speak or eat again. "Can you forgive me?" 

   


"What's there to forgive?" Josh shrugs and smiles wryly. "You're cool. Just don't piss me off, 'kay?" 

   


"Or, what, you'll  _carve a sigil into my skin_? _Skin me and hang my spine up as a decoration on your porch?_ " Tyler laughs. "Is that what you do to everyone who pisses you off?" 

   


Josh takes another bite. It's tough to get through, but he manages. There's red on his mouth, and shirt now. He's eating with his  _hands_ , a hungry coyote that was left to starve in the heat.  _Looking for more prey._

   


"Perceptive, aren't you?" Josh's eyes glaze over with hunger. "Debs and I could go out of our way to do that kinda stuff. Make ornaments and knick-knacks out of body parts. Sounds like a nice date idea." 

   


"Hmm." Tyler looks uneasy. "What are you eating?" 

   


"I was hoping you asked that!" Josh beamed. His teeth are stained red, too. "I'm actually eating the raw heart of your cousin." 

   


_"What?_ " Tyler narrows his eyes. "You're disgusting." 

   


"I already  _told_ you I eat people! What  _more_ do you want me to tell you, huh?" Josh snarls at him, his mouth seeming strangely larger than normal.  _He's got two rows of canine teeth._

   


"I don't know, why these big-ass monster  _things_ are breaking into my house, trying to kill me, and making my life miserable! Can you tell me  _that_?" Tyler's voice rises. "Why in God's name would anyone want to kill  _me?_ I'm not sure what the _fuck_ you're up to, but it's getting on my nerves." 

   


Josh sighs, calming down. "I just...I'm not planning anything, OK? Listen, I think...I think you've got a demon inside you, Tyler."

   


"You've got to be kidding me. I just want to  _live in peace_! Does anyone  _not_ understand that?" 

   


"Time has changed," Josh says, licking his fingers clean of blood, "and peace is a concept we are not aware of. Just watch. Something that doesn’t quite belong will make itself known to you soon enough. When it does, _ **erase it**_." 

-

  


As the Elders crossed the river, they saw a figure dressed in pure white standing in the middle of it. They nodded their heads in a solemn greeting as they passed the mysterious being, and continued home for the night.

  


The next night, two figures stood on the bridge.

  


Then three.

  


Then four.

  


On the fifth night, they all realized something that sent chills down their spines; none of the figures standing on the bridge had any describable features other than their pure white clothes.

  


And they were all waiting for something.

  


"Constantijn, what are the whereabouts of the revisionists?" Adelheid's authoritative voice broke the silence. Before she got an answer, she made a quick gesture with her fingers, praying for guidance and  _a good feast._

  


"Houses 121, 130, 137, 139, and house 201. Left street, down St. Ophelia Avenue," Constantijn's face was grim. His dark eyes were focused on the white-clothed figures. Hatred boiled inside of his chest. "There are several houses of worship connected to different forms of one religion here as well." 

  


"These disloyal bastards will  _not_ bring shame to Fyr!" Manon snarled, one of her eyes glittering. The other paled. "They have been claimed to be putting _other_ deities on a pedestal, or not choosing one at all!" 

  


"You _must_ realize that this civilization of people has evolved for over a million years and continue to do so at an alarmingly rapid rate," Sieger interjects, his smile full of pride, "and this is because of the laws these people have acquired. There is a reason for all of this." 

  


" _Either way_ ," Adelheid grits her teeth, "the revisionists are located here and we  _must_ convert them in order to restore our community of votaries. Do you understand your orders?" 

  


"Yes," Manon grumbles irritably, " _I_ do." 

  


"Of course." Sieger smiles bitterly. "We won't fail you." 

  


  


 

 

  


  


   


   


   


   


   


   


   


   


   


   


  


  



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